In "Gaudete," what does the Latin word "gaudete" mean?

In “Gaudete,” the Latin word “gaudete” means “rejoice.” It is an imperative addressed to more than one person, so “rejoice ye” or “rejoice, all of you” conveys the grammar more precisely.

The word comes from the Latin verb gaudere, meaning “to rejoice” or “to be glad.” The carol opens with the repeated command “Gaudete, gaudete!” followed by the declaration that Christ has been born of the Virgin Mary.

The song is a 16th-century sacred carol published in the 1582 collection Piae Cantiones. Although the collection was associated with Finland and Sweden, it was printed in Greifswald, then in northern Germany. The melody commonly sung today comes from older liturgical sources.

“Gaudete” is also the name of the third Sunday of Advent, taken from the opening word of the Latin entrance chant for that day. “Believe,” “pray,” and “sing” fit the song’s religious setting but are not translations of its title.